TL;DR Traditional penetration testing doesn’t match today’s dynamic digital environment. Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) provides instant access to flexible and scalable pentesting to slow a growing attack surface, and Synack PTaaS excels for a number of reasons.
Organizations familiar with traditional pentesting methods knows of the drawbacks. Once crowned as the go-to penetration testing method for companies big and small, today’s security challenges simply cannot be met with this model. While this one-time engagement method does rely on human testers, the expertise and scalability is drastically limited and a long, meaningless vulnerability report on findings at the end is usually all that’s provided. Luckily, organizations are moving past this and are looking for more comprehensive, effective solutions and a security testing vendor that can meet their specific requirements.
When you think of PTaaS, what do you imagine? This hybrid solution combines automation and human assessment to identify and address vulnerabilities in mobile and web applications, APIs and network/cloud devices. It saves organizations time and money by reducing the need for extensive human resources and ensuring compliance, making it the preferred choice for security testing.
PTaaS provides various resources, such as vulnerability parsing, risk scoring and dashboards, to improve visibility into potential risks and expedite remediation. However, how can organizations decipher which PTaaS model or vendor is right for them?
Last month, Synack VP of Product Jeff Barker wrote a blog that dove into a side-by-side comparison of traditional penetration testing vs. penetration testing as a service vs. Synack’s PTaaS model. In this follow-up, we will examine the unique strengths of the Synack Platform, establishing its leadership in PTaaS solutions.
Understanding the Benefits of Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) with Synack
Not all PTaaS models are equal. When organizations use Synack’s PTaaS platform, they can expect all the promises of PTaaS and more. Let’s explore the unique strengths of the Synack Platform:
Launch a Penetration Test in Days, Not Weeks with PTaaS
Organizations shouldn’t have to wait for a penetration test. With the Synack Platform, organizations can launch a test in days, not weeks or months. Need a last minute pentest? We’ve got you covered. Interested in checking for the presence of a zero-day? Look no further. Synack’s community of 1,500 security researchers, the Synack Red Team, is available 24/7/365 to test, so scheduling is never an issue. Customers can create assessments online and automatically provide scope, authentication, scheduling, known vulnerabilities and rules of engagement details through the Synack Platform.
Initiating Effective Patch Verification in PTaaS
Discovering exploitable vulnerabilities is only half of the job. One key feature of Synack’s vulnerability management capabilities is patch verification. Customers can easily request patch verification through the client portal to ensure the effectiveness of remediation efforts. We’ll have the same Synack Red Team member who originally discovered the exploit to go back in and retest to ensure to patch is effective.
Effective Vulnerability Triage Services
Organizations should avoid false positives, excessive noise and low-hanging fruit. That’s why our Synack’s Vulnerability Operations team will triage all vulnerability reports that come in and verify exploitability, so your security team receives thorough and actionable reporting. Synack will assess the vulnerability report’s quality, validate the vulnerability and offer actionable guidance on effectively addressing it.
Enhanced Speed and Agility in Security Testing with PTaaS
Whether you’ve acquired a new company and need to test assets or the development team is ready to take something live and needs a security test within a couple days rather than a few months, last minute accommodations can be requested.
Seamless Testing with the Assessment Creation Wizard in PTaaS
Our Assessment Creation Wizard (ACW) makes it easy for customers to create new penetration tests. Instead of emailing information back-and-forth with testers to plan start times, outage windows, share credentials and articulate scope, customers can self-service all this information through guided forms. With breakouts for exclusions, special rules of engagement and requests, customers can receive the same fidelity of customization they would in a guided conversation with traditional on-site testers, while harnessing the power of the Synack Red Team. This saves time and gets testing started more quickly.
Continuous Discovery with Continuous Testing
Organizations can’t test what they don’t know. Luckily, we have a solution. Synack’s new Attack Surface Discovery offering bridges the gap between asset discovery and PTaaS for better attack surface management. The Synack Platform integrates continuous discovery, fingerprinting, prioritization, pentesting, vulnerability management, root cause analysis and more, all on one platform. Customers can now see a complete view of their attack surface and which assets host the most risk, all while experiencing the benefits of PTaaS.
Synack’s Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) Platform vs. the competition
It can be easy to get lost in the various security testing models and solutions on the market today. Although many organizations are adopting PTaaS models for their security testing needs, it’s crucial to recognize that not all models and vendors are equal.
Companies require a PTaaS vendor capable of identifying exploitable vulnerabilities in mobile or web applications, APIs and cloud/host infrastructure, as well as providing assistance with vulnerability management, testing flexibility and more. This is why organizations are choosing the Synack Platform.
We address your expanding attack surface with a security testing platform that delivers continuous penetration testing with vulnerability management, both tactical and strategic. We help discover exploitable vulnerabilities within your assets through the skills of our elite Synack Red Team and enable you to pinpoint their root causes so you can effectively remediate and prevent them from reappearing. We’re helping organizations build their cybersecurity resilience to stay secure and prepared.
It’s time to move beyond traditional pentesting. Interested in learning more about our solutions and how we can help your team? Request a demo here.
